Ready,+Set,+Party!

toc Designed by:
 * ~ media type="custom" key="4656457" ||~ media type="custom" key="4581336" ||~ media type="custom" key="4856261" ||
 * ~ media type="custom" key="4581344" ||~ media type="custom" key="4581346" ||~ media type="custom" key="4581348" ||

Pictures can be clicked to view a higher resolution version*. //*Game board sketch has no hi-res option.//
 * ~ [[image:v3board.jpg width="150" height="225" caption="Game board sketch*"]] ||~ [[image:RSP_board3.jpg width="150" height="225" align="left" caption="Game board prototype" link="@http://670.wikispaces.com/file/view/rsp1_boardgame.jpg/99652833/rsp1_boardgame.jpg"]] [[image:rsp-thumbv-final-GameBoard.jpg align="left" caption="Game board final" link="http://670.wikispaces.com/file/view/rsp-finalv-GameBoard.jpg/106937485/rsp-finalv-GameBoard.jpg"]] ||

=Instructional Objective= Through this board game, students will learn how discounts are applied in a real life setting (the shopping mall). They will also be able to practice percentage calculations and rounding, use basic math operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), and convert between percentages and fractions.

The following California Math Standards apply: **6th grade** Number Sense 1.4 - Calculate given percentages of quantities and solve problems involving discounts at sales. Number Sense 2.0 - Students calculate and solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

**7th grade** Number Sense 1.3 - Convert fractions to decimals and percents and use these representations in computations and applications. Number Sense 1.7 - Solve problems that involve discounts.

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=Learners & Context of Use= This board game is designed for 6th and 7th grade math students (age 12-14). While some students like math, other students tend to question the relevance of what they are learning by asking "When are we going to use this in real life?" Through the exciting and fun process of buying items to host a party, our target learners will experience real-world consumer math in action. They will learn to apply mathematical skills aimed at helping them calculate discounts and other transactions as they strategize to make the most of their monetary resources.

//**Before the game.**// Teachers can use this game to instill interest and motivate students to learn this subject matter during class either as a form of practice or for remediation. Not only are 5th grade math skills a pre-requisite, but students must also have been introduced to percentages, fractions, and discounts. Therefore, this game is designed to be played after teachers have presented those lessons in class.

The game is designed for small groups of two to four students to ensure that they will have the most participation possible while also learning consumer math together. It is highly recommended that teachers group the students to account for varying skills in the class. Teachers can modify the rules for special needs students (e.g. a student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan may require the use of a calculator throughout the game). Teachers can also modify the rules for advanced students (e.g. decrease the amount of time given to answer questions).

//**During the game.**// Skills attained during the game can be easily transferred to the real-world setting. Students can immediately apply what they have learned as they make their purchases. The game is designed to be played more than once. With questions such as " What is 10% of your current cash total? ," students will face different calculations every time they play. The more times a student plays, the more practice they will receive, and the better their math skills will be (ideally).

For verification of answers, teachers should encourage the students to use the paper and pencils provided for the calculations first before referring to the calculator.

//**After the game.**// This game can be tailored to finish within a standard class period of 45-50 minutes. Teachers should reserve 5-10 minutes at the end of class or at the beginning of the next class to discuss the parallels of the game with students' real life shopping experiences in order to point out that math is applicable to the real world.

Beyond the class setting, the varying complexities of the game also appeal to older teenagers and young adults who will resonate with the party theme and the decision-making process in dealing with limited monetary resources.

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=Competing Products= There are a couple of board games that share the same focus on consumer math. Departmental Store Math and Shopping Bag Game are similar with our game in terms of presenting players with a list of shopping items and a fixed amount of money. However, they only ask players to use simple mathematical skills such as addition and subtraction.

Our game features discounts, the need to interpret percentages, and has the possibility of splitting proceeds, which requires players to know multiplication and division. In this aspect, SALE - A Consumer Math Game and Let's Go Shopping share the same requirement for math skills.

But our game still has another level of complexity. The amount of money given to players at the start is insufficient and they have to earn more through the game play. Four games - Shopping Spree, Allowance - A Consumer Math Game, Math Mall, and Shopping - have the same approach, albeit each having some differences in the mechanic to generate money. Similar to our game, these four present risks and opportunities to the players in the form of the "Chance" cards.

Differentiating from these competing products, our game also introduces cooperative play. In the midst of competing to win, players in our game are given opportunities to involve each other to generate more income than if they are to do it individually. This allows for more interaction and presents another level of strategy that players can leverage to win the game.

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=**Object of the Game**= Be the first player to purchase all of the party items from a pre-determined shopping list.

"Your task is to be the first person to buy all the items needed for a party. Along the way, you'll be able to earn more money in the Neighborhood and have the chance to get discounts at the Mall. Are you **ready** to pit your math skills against other players to overcome exciting challenges? Then get **set** and let's **party**!"

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=Content Analysis=
 * ~ Content Type ||~ Content Elements ||~ Game Elements ||
 * **Facts** || * Percent
 * Fraction
 * Price
 * Items to buy
 * Definitions of game elements || * Information on game cards (e.g. 20%, 0.5, 3/5, etc.)
 * Instructions on game board and cards
 * Game rules

||
 * **Concepts** || * Discount
 * Interest rates
 * Cooperative Work
 * Competition
 * Opportunity
 * Value
 * Return on investment
 * Choice || * Information on game cards (e.g. discount and inflation)
 * Opportunities available to earn money
 * Opportunities with different levels of return on investment
 * Players compete against each other to be the fastest to complete the shopping list
 * Players cooperate with each other to earn more money
 * Players are presented with ample options during game play which they have to make a decision ||
 * **Principles** || * Decision-making || * Limited resources (e.g. money and opportunities to earn money) necessitate players to make decisions and bear opportunity costs (i.e. if a player wants to purchase items, s/he must forgo an opportunity to earn money at the same moment and vice versa)
 * Paths and shortcuts on the game board give players an additional level of choice
 * Game rules ||
 * **Procedures** || * Applying prevailing interest rates when buying an item
 * Earn money individually
 * Movement on the board
 * Action(s) on each square
 * Solve math problems || * "Buy" squares
 * "Opportunity" squares - Cash Quest and Cooperative Work
 * "Chance" squares
 * "Blank" squares
 * "Start zone"
 * Linear movement on the game board
 * Instructions on game cards
 * Game rules ||
 * **Processes** || * Order of players for moving and during an opportunity
 * Determine shopping list
 * Cooperative work to earn money || * Flexibility to determine size of shopping list
 * "Opportunity" squares
 * Game rules ||
 * **Probabilities** || * Decisions other players will make
 * Risk and opportunities presented to players
 * Pace of each player || * Cooperative work that allows players to earn more money
 * Chance cards
 * Die roll
 * Return on investment
 * "Blank" squares - Landing on blank squares does not allow players to do anything. This is something that can cause significant impact to the player who continuously lands on them. ||
 * **Context** || * Shopping Mall
 * Neighborhood || * Board game is divided into two distinct zones - Shopping Mall & Neighborhood
 * Players enter the Mall to buy items or enter the Neighborhood to earn money
 * Players can only be in one zone at any given time
 * The Mall and the Neighborhood each have a shortcut ||
 * **Vantage Points** || * Buyer
 * Opportunist
 * Initiator
 * Co-op Player || * Players are Buyers when they exercise the option to purchase items
 * Players are Opportunists when they want to earn money in the Neighborhood
 * Players become an Initiator when they request cooperative work from another player to earn a higher return on investment
 * Players become Co-op Players when they agree to enter into cooperative work to earn a higher return on investment ||

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=Game Materials=
 * Game board** - 1
 * Has 2 zones (Mall & Neighborhood).
 * There is a shortcut in both the Mall and the Neighborhood.
 * The Mall has 3 types of squares (Buy, Chance, and Blank) and the Neighborhood has 3 types of squares (Opportunity, Chance, and Blank).
 * Arrows on the board indicate directions in which players can move within each zone.

There are 10 types of party items (4 of each). The complete shopping list is below:
 * Buy card deck** - 40 cards
 * ~ [[image:rsp2_thumb_buy.jpg link="@http://670.wikispaces.com/file/view/rsp2_buy.jpg/99652841/rsp2_buy.jpg"]] [[image:rsp-thumb-finalbuy.jpg link="http://670.wikispaces.com/file/view/rsp-final-buy.jpg/106936841/rsp-final-buy.jpg"]] ||


 * **Item type** || **Price** ||
 * Streamers || $5 ||
 * Cups & Plates || $10 ||
 * Confetti Poppers || $15 ||
 * Party Glasses || $20 ||
 * Party Hats || $25 ||
 * Mylar Balloons || $30 ||
 * Beverages || $35 ||
 * Fancy Lighting || $40 ||
 * Food & Candy || $45 ||
 * Party Costumes || $50 ||

12 cards that improve the player's chance of buying items or ability to earn more money. 12 cards that reduce the player's chance of buying items or ability to earn more money.
 * Chance card deck** - 24 cards
 * ~ [[image:rsp4_thumb_chance.jpg link="@http://670.wikispaces.com/file/view/rsp4_chance.jpg/99652889/rsp4_chance.jpg"]] [[image:rsp-thumb-chance.jpg link="http://670.wikispaces.com/file/view/rsp-final-chance.jpg/106936855/rsp-final-chance.jpg"]] ||

12 cards with Cash Quest. A player who can answer the math problem on the card correctly under 30 seconds without using a calculator will be awarded money. This opportunity gives players a low return on investment. 12 cards with Cooperative Work. A player can request Cooperative Work with another player who is in the Neighborhood to earn money. This opportunity gives players a chance for a high return on investment.
 * Opportunity card deck** - 24 cards
 * ~ [[image:rsp6_thumb_opportunity.jpg link="@http://670.wikispaces.com/file/view/rsp6_opportunity.jpg/99652957/rsp6_opportunity.jpg"]] [[image:rsp-thumb-coop.jpg link="http://670.wikispaces.com/file/view/rsp-final-cooperative.jpg/106936871/rsp-final-cooperative.jpg"]] ||


 * 6-sided Die** - 1


 * 30-second hour glass** - 1
 * Used as a timer when a player encounters a Cash Quest.


 * Player pawn** - 4 pieces
 * 1 of each color: Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green


 * Cash** - A stack is 25 bills
 * 2 stacks of $1
 * 1 stack of $5
 * 1 stack of $10
 * 1 stack of $20
 * 1 stack of $50


 * Rule book** - 3 pages


 * Paper & pencil** - 4 sets

This item is not included with the game but players are encouraged to use one to quickly verify answers.
 * Calculator** - 1 (optional)

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=Time Required= Initially, it will take more than 5 minutes to set up the game and figure out the rules and get acquainted with the board. (The teacher may want to preview the rules with the students the day before.) Afterwards, it should take fewer than 5 minutes for students to get the game and set it up. This would allow for about 40 minutes of play during a regular 50-minute class period with 5 minutes at the end to clean up. (There are rules for determining the winner if there is not enough time to finish the game.) This game is not designed to be played over several class periods due to lack of storage space (i.e. leaving the board and pieces out). Also, for middle school teachers, chances are that they will have several class periods throughout the day and will need to reuse the boards.

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=The Rules=

**__Setup__** // (Recommendation: Complete the steps as you read them.) // 1. Place the game board on a table.

2. Shuffle the three different card decks (**//Chance, Buy, & Opportunity//**) and place them faced down on the table. When no card is available for drawing from a deck, shuffle the discard pile, and place the cards faced down on the table to resume play.

3. If needed, sort the money into stacks of $1, $5, $10, $20, and $50. Set the money aside and choose one player to be the banker. Since the monetary units are bills and do not include coins, players need to round to the nearest dollar when necessary.

4. Give each player: five $1, one $5, two $10, one $20, and one $50. The total should be $100.

5. Each player picks a Player Pawn and places it in one of the **Start Zones** depending on which zone he/she wants to start in (either the **Neighborhood** to start earning more money or the **Mall** to start buying items ). While moving in either zone, the player can choose to cross into another zone or stay within the same zone when presented with a choice as indicated with the arrows.

6. Decide as a group what kind of party you'll have. Choose one of the following:
 * **Great Party**: The first player to buy six different party items wins the game.
 * **Fantastic Party**: The first player to buy eight different party items wins the game.
 * **Amazing Party**: The first player to buy ten different party items wins the game.

7. **Not enough time**. When there is not enough time to finish the game, the player with the most number of //Buy// cards wins. If there is a tie, the player holding the highest total value of the //Buy// cards wins. If there is still a tie, the players with the tie will each roll the die. Highest roll wins. Repeat die roll as necessary.

8. Decide as a group what kind of math problems you'll solve when encountering Cash Quest. Choose one of the following:


 * **Fractions Only**: When reading the Cash Quest cards, read only the fraction in the question. For example, What is 3/10 of the total value of your current buy card(s)?
 * **Percentages Only**: When reading the Cash Quest cards, read only the percentage in the question. For example, What is 30% of the total value of your current buy card(s)?
 * **Mix of Fractions & Percentages**: Each time a Cash Quest card is read, the reader gets to decide if s/he wants to use fractions or percentages. For example, What is 3/10 of the total value of your current buy card(s) ? **__OR__** What is 30% of the total value of your current buy card(s) ?

9. To figure out who goes first, each player rolls the die once. The player with the highest roll goes first. The player on the first player's right is next and so on. A round is considered complete when all players have played their turn.

**__Playing The Game__** 10. From the Start Zone, the first player will roll the die and move his/her Player Pawn the number of spaces that was rolled. The arrows on the game board indicate the direction that players must move.

11. If the player lands on a Blank square ​ or one with an arrow on it, nothing happens and it's the next player's turn. Arrows only indicate the direction that players may move. They do not imply a "slide" to the next square.

12. If the player lands on any other square **(Buy, Opportunity, & Chance),** see below:

**__Buy Square__** 13. On the Buy square, the player picks a card from the //Buy// deck and reads it aloud. He/she has two options: buy the item indicated on the card OR reject the purchase. 14. **Prevailing Rate**. There will be instances when multiple rates are in effect during a turn. For example, a player, who has a 10% discount voucher, wants to purchase an item that is priced at $50 when there is an inflation rate of 40% applied to all players (indicated by the Chance card displayed on the game board). The player has to apply the interest rates separately before paying the final amount. In this case, the player can apply the inflation rate (40%) first (the price increases to $70), then use the discount (10%) and pay the final amount of $63. //Or//, the player can use the discount (10%) first (the price decreases to $45), then apply the inflation rate (40%) and pay the final amount of $63.
 * __Buy the item__. If the player buys the item, he/she pays the amount indicated on the card or at the //Prevailing Rate//, if any (see # 14) . The player keeps the card and it's the next player's turn.
 * __Reject the purchase__. If the player chooses not to buy or doesn't have enough money, he/she returns the card to the discard pile and it's the next player's turn.

__**Opportunity Square**__ //(Current player does NOT pick up card. The player to the ** left ** will read the card .)// 15. On the Opportunity square, the player to the left of the current player picks a card from the //Opportunity// deck and reads it aloud. There are two types of Opportunity cards: Cash Quest OR Cooperative Work.

16 . **Cash Quest**. The current player has only one chance to answer a math problem involving percentages or fractions within **30 seconds**.
 * __Correct answer__. The amount of cash on the Opportunity card will be awarded (other players need to verify the answer). The card is then returned to the discard pile and it's the next player's turn.
 * __Incorrect answer or time expires__. No money is awarded. The card is then returned to the discard pile and it's the next player's turn.

17 . **Cooperative Work**. There are two types of Cooperative Work (Lemonade Stand and Car Wash) that allow players to earn money. The player presented with Cooperative Work has two options: request Cooperative Work with another player in the Neighborhood OR reject the Cooperative Work. > After collecting the earnings, the card is then returned to the discard pile and it's the next player's turn.
 * __Request Cooperative Work__. Cooperative Work can only be done with ONE player who is in the Neighborhood . If there are two or more players who are interested, the one nearest to the left of the current player has the priority. When Cooperative Work occurs, both players will each pay 1/2 or 50% of the amount indicated on the Opportunity card first. Then both players will roll the die once to determine the total earnings:
 * __Loss__. When the sum of the die rolls is 2 through 5, the total earnings is **4/5** or **80%** of the amount indicated on the Opportunity card, which is split equally between the two players.
 * __Break even__. When the sum of the die rolls is 6 through 8, the total earnings is **1** or **100%** of the amount indicated on the Opportunity card, which is split equally between the two players.
 * __Profit__. When the sum of the die rolls is 9 through 12, the total earnings is ** 11/5 ** or ** 220% ** of the amount indicated on the Opportunity card, which is split equally between the two players.
 * __Reject the Cooperative Work__. If no player is interested or available (in the Neighborhood) to enter into Cooperative Work or a player doesn't have enough money, then the card is returned to the discard pile and it's the next player's turn.

__**Chance Square**__ 18 . On the Chance square, the player picks a card from the //Chance// deck and reads it aloud. After he/she follows the instructions on the card, it's the next player's turn. The card will be returned to the discard pile after it is used.

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=Motivational Issues= This game uses several elements of Keller's ARCS model to engage learners:
 * **Attention**
 * Sensory stimuli - Players are presented with a colorful board and game pieces that they may tactilely explore (rolling the die, picking up a card, moving their player pawn, etc.).
 * Variability - Instead of taking notes or listening to a lecture, players are given an opportunity to play a board game; something that rarely happens in a math class at this level.
 * **Relevance**
 * Math content - Through this game, players will have more fun practicing what they have learned by applying their new skills to a real world situation.
 * Familiarity - Players can relate to organizing a party (or perhaps attending a party). For the targeted audience, they may be planning or have already planned their 13th birthday party - an important milestone in their young lives.
 * **Confidence**
 * Personal control - Players have many choices throughout the game. They may choose which zone they want to start in, whether or not they wish to cooperate with another player, etc.
 * Success opportunities - Players are given opportunities to answer questions throughout the game for additional money and party items. This gives them chances for small successes while they are in the process of trying to win the game.
 * **Satisfaction**
 * Intrinsic reinforcement - Who doesn't like to win a race or competition? To prove that they are the fastest or smartest? Players take great pride in bragging rights.

Other motivational issues:
 * **Strategy (individual vs. cooperation)** - Players need to rely on each other, while vying for an individual win. Players will be challenged to find the optimal strategy.
 * **Curiosity** - Players may also be motivated to continue with the game due to the unknown. What is in the cards for each player? What fortune or misfortune will each player experience? And how will that impact other players?
 * **(ad)Venture** - Players will be engaged with the aspect of wagering their money to take a risk with a cooperative opportunity. Will they lose, break even, or gain money? Only a roll of the die will tell!

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=Design Process= Our team started out with ideas for several topics including baking, shopping, and delivering pizza, but all of them seemed to naturally focus on math. We decided to keep that focus as we continually developed and revised our ideas. One of our main issues was to figure out the goal of the game. Initially, we wanted to include several game elements, such as money, fatigue level, and the amount of items that a player could carry, as competing resources that necessitate players to make choices. The mechanics to gel these elements together was very complex. Therefore, we streamlined the elements to focus just on money - the ability to make purchases and as a means to generate more money. In the end, we finally agreed that shopping for items to organize a party was a goal that could resonate with both genders of our target audience, since baking seemed to be oriented toward females and delivering pizza toward males.

Having reviewed similar games both online and in stores (as mentioned in the **Competing Products** section), we wanted to include elements that would give our game an interesting edge. Hence, instead of just competing against each other, players also need to cooperate among themselves as part of the strategy to win the game.

Once the ideas started to flow, so did a vision for what our board and cards should look like. We designed a prototype to play test (among ourselves). We realized that some of our rules, questions, and cards were confusing or didn't seem to fit. So, again we made revisions to clarify rules, change questions, and reduce the number of cards. One individual repeatedly took advantage of the shortcuts and did not travel around the remainder of the board. Therefore, another board with more blank squares in the shortcuts was developed for our second play test (again, among ourselves). This time, the play was more fluid because of the changes that we had made and also because we had played before.

Based on feedback from Karl, we decided to reduce the complexity of the game play by eliminating the Yard Sale feature which allowed players to sell their Buy cards. Through this elimination, we reduced the rules that were needed to explain this element.

While looking at the rubric, we realized that we could make our game more flexible by providing equivalent fractions and percentages. Initially, when a player picked up a Cash Quest card, the question had either a fraction or percent. Now, they have both so that players can choose to play only fractions, only percentages, or a mixture of fractions and percentages. This will provide practice according to their need and based on their prior knowledge.

Our third play test was conducted with two 6th grade girls. Although it was early in the school year and they did not have the skills and knowledge necessary to answer the Cash Quest cards yet, they were still able to provide us with valuable information. Our first mistake was to direct them to read all of the rules before beginning the game. It was too much information. Therefore, our revised rules now recommend that players complete each step as they read them. We tried to simplify the rules even more by combining a few and also eliminating some of them. We also rephrased some of the rules to make them more kid-friendly (e.g. "denominations" is no longer used). An important discovery was that the girls enjoyed the collaborative process of playing the Cooperative cards. They liked splitting the cost of the opportunity and not having to risk all of their own money. We also decided to increase the starting amount of money from $50 to $100 per player because we noticed that the girls were reluctant to spend a large portion of their money on an opportunity.

The fourth and final play test was conducted with 4 adults (two current EDTEC 670 students, one former EDTEC 670 student, and one middle school math teacher not enrolled in the EDTEC program). While they thought that the game was fun and they liked the graphics, they did indicate that there was room for improvement. A play tester brought to our attention that while the Cash Quest cards provided both fractions and percentages, the Chance cards only used percents. While trying to correct this error, we realized that in real life, discounts are given in percentages and not fractions, so we are keeping the Chance cards as is.

Players also indicated that some of the rules needed clarification. We realized that since they were reading the rules as they played, they didn't get to the Additional Rules at the end, which provided some of the clarification that they needed. Therefore, the rules have been rearranged and the Additional Rules have been integrated into the rest of the rules where appropriate. We started out with 26 rules and now we're down to 18.

We will also be making the following changes:
 * To our board
 * Labeling the Neighborhood and Mall to distinguish the different zones
 * Listing how to determine the total earnings information for Cooperative Work (e.g. When the sum of the die rolls is 2 through 5, the total earnings is **4/5** or **80%**...) to provide a quick reference for players
 * Using lighter colors for our background squares to avoid confusion with squares on the game path
 * To our cards
 * Using a symbol for the Car Wash, Lemonade Stand, Cash Quest, and Cooperative Work to identify each type of card
 * Removing the "Ask another player" element in Cash Quest to reduce confusion (players will now only need to compute a fraction or percentage of their current cash or value of their buy cards instead of the sum of theirs and another player's)

Throughout this process, our group collaborated in person and via email, as well as through postings on Google Sites and Wikispaces.

We learned several lessons through this project, which will be carried over to our next game design project:
 * 1) An in-depth content analysis needs to be conducted early on to define the game parameters.
 * 2) A playable prototype needs to be developed as soon as possible for play testing.
 * 3) Play testing with multiple audience groups is beneficial for acquiring different viewpoints to refine the mechanics of the game.
 * 4) Managing expectations and meeting project deadlines is crucial for game design success.
 * 5) Working within real world constraints can be challenging. Our ideas were somewhat limited by what The Game Crafter website could provide for us.

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=References=
 * Books & Journals**
 * Schell, J. (2008). //The art of game design: A book of lenses//. Amsterdam: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.


 * Electronic**
 * Board Game Geek
 * Board Games with Scott
 * Bridge Troll
 * EducationalLearningGames.com
 * The Game Crafter

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